Big test awaits Young Reds in NPL Round 13

Adelaide United will face one of their biggest tests against second-placed Adelaide Comets in Round 13 of the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues at The Parks Football Centre on Saturday.

An eight-goal thriller saw an exuberant Adelaide United, especially in what was a faultless first half for Huss Skenderovic’s side, where they put four goals past their opponents.

The Reds now sit ninth after defeating Adelaide Olympic 5-3 in a physical encounter at The Parks Football Centre.

Adelaide Comets sit two points behind Adelaide City at the top of the table following a convincing 4-0 win over Para Hills Knights.

The last clash between the two sides saw the Young Reds put up a challenge but ultimately fell 4-2 due to two late goals.

Skenderovic said his side is in high-spirits and it has given his young side the confidence that they can stand up to the more physical teams, although they must learn that they should not become complacent.

“The boys are in good spirits following the win against Olympic, and we have just been focusing on key elements like how we can compete and find consistency, and we learn from every game,” he said.

“It is always good to win like that, and against a team who are physical and it gives us the confidence that they can stand up against them.

“We spoke to the players about how crucial it is to not become complacent, especially in senior football and think the game is won.

“Because even at the highest level, come backs are always possible which has been proven.

“We just have to continue to produce those performances and maintain those habits for 90-95 minutes, it is a good learning curve for them.”

Round 13 will be an opportunity to measure the learning curve for the Young Reds and assess how far they have come since the last meeting in Round 2.

“We are focussed on Adelaide Comets, who we face this week, and we did talk about our last match-up with them.

“They are a very good team and the way they play will suit us, as we like to play teams who actually want to play football.

“The boys will definitely want to challenge themselves, and when they see a team like that who are sitting second, they are right up there as the benchmark.

“So I think the team are anxious to see where they are at, compared to the last time we played them.

“For us it is like a barometer, to see how far we have come, and they are confident.”